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sartor resartus-第30章

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ines that wonderful stillness of his; that stoicism in external procedure。  Thus; if his sudden bereavement; in this matter of the Flower…goddess; is talked of as a real Doomsday and Dissolution of Nature; in which light doubtless it partly appeared to himself; his own nature is nowise dissolved thereby; but rather is compressed closer。  For once; as we might say; a Blumine by magic appliances has unlocked that shut heart of his; and its hidden things rush out tumultuous; boundless; like genii enfranchised from their glass vial:  but no sooner are your magic appliances withdrawn; than the strange casket of a heart springs to again; and perhaps there is now no key extant that will open it; for a Teufelsdrockh as we remarked; will not love a second time。  Singular Diogenes!  No sooner has that heart…rending occurrence fairly taken place; than he affects to regard it as a thing natural; of which there is nothing more to be said。  〃One highest hope; seemingly legible in the eyes of an Angel; had recalled him as out of Death…shadows into celestial Life:  but a gleam of Tophet passed over the face of his Angel; he was rapt away in whirlwinds; and heard the laughter of Demons。  It was a Calenture;〃 adds he; 〃whereby the Youth saw green Paradise…groves in the waste Ocean…waters: a lying vision; yet not wholly a lie; for _he_ saw it。〃  But what things soever passed in him; when he ceased to see it; what ragings and despairings soever Teufelsdrockh's soul was the scene of; he has the goodness to conceal under a quite opaque cover of Silence。  We know it well; the first mad paroxysm past; our brave Gneschen collected his dismembered philosophies; and buttoned himself together; he was meek; silent; or spoke of the weather and the Journals:  only by a transient knitting of those shaggy brows; by some deep flash of those eyes; glancing one knew not whether with tear…dew or with fierce fire;might you have guessed what a Gehenna was within:  that a whole Satanic School were spouting; though inaudibly; there。  To consume your own choler; as some chimneys consume their own smoke; to keep a whole Satanic School spouting; if it must spout; inaudibly; is a negative yet no slight virtue; nor one of the commonest in these times。

Nevertheless; we will not take upon us to say; that in the strange measure he fell upon; there was not a touch of latent Insanity; whereof indeed the actual condition of these Documents in _Capricornus_ and _Aquarius is_ no bad emblem。  His so unlimited Wanderings; toilsome enough; are without assigned or perhaps assignable aim; internal Unrest seems his sole guidance; he wanders; wanders; as if that curse of the Prophet had fallen on him; and he were 〃made like unto a wheel。〃  Doubtless; too; the chaotic nature of these Paper…bags aggravates our obscurity。  Quite without note of preparation; for example; we come upon the following slip:  〃A peculiar feeling it is that will rise in the Traveller; when turning some hill…range in his desert road; he descries lying far below; embosomed among its groves and green natural bulwarks; and all diminished to a toy…box; the fair Town; where so many souls; as it were seen and yet unseen; are driving their multifarious traffic。  Its white steeple is then truly a starward…pointing finger; the canopy of blue smoke seems like a sort of Lifebreath:  for always; of its own unity; the soul gives unity to whatsoever it looks on with love; thus does the little Dwelling…place of men; in itself a congeries of houses and huts; become for us an individual; almost a person。 But what thousand other thoughts unite thereto; if the place has to ourselves been the arena of joyous or mournful experiences; if perhaps the cradle we were rocked in still stands there; if our Loving ones still dwell there; if our Buried ones there slumber!〃  Does Teufelsdrockh as the wounded eagle is said to make for its own eyrie; and indeed military deserters; and all hunted outcast creatures; turn as if by instinct in the direction of their birthland;fly first; in this extremity; towards his native Entepfuhl; but reflecting that there no help awaits him; take only one wistful look from the distance; and then wend elsewhither?

Little happier seems to be his next flight:  into the wilds of Nature; as if in her mother…bosom he would seek healing。  So at least we incline to interpret the following Notice; separated from the former by some considerable space; wherein; however; is nothing noteworthy:

〃Mountains were not new to him; but rarely are Mountains seen in such combined majesty and grace as here。  The rocks are of that sort called Primitive by the mineralogists; which always arrange themselves in masses of a rugged; gigantic character; which ruggedness; however; is here tempered by a singular airiness of form; and softness of environment:  in a climate favorable to vegetation; the gray cliff; itself covered with lichens; shoots up through a garment of foliage or verdure; and white; bright cottages; tree…shaded; cluster round the everlasting granite。  In fine vicissitude; Beauty alternates with Grandeur:  you ride through stony hollows; along strait passes; traversed by torrents; overhung by high walls of rock; now winding amid broken shaggy chasms; and huge fragments; now suddenly emerging into some emerald valley; where the streamlet collects itself into a Lake; and man has again found a fair dwelling; and it seems as if Peace had established herself in the bosom of Strength。

〃To Peace; however; in this vortex of existence; can the Son of Time not pretend:  still less if some Spectre haunt him from the Past; and the Future is wholly a Stygian Darkness; spectre…bearing。  Reasonably might the Wanderer exclaim to himself:  Are not the gates of this world's happiness inexorably shut against thee; hast thou a hope that is not mad? Nevertheless; one may still murmur audibly; or in the original Greek if that suit thee better:  'Whoso can look on Death will start at no shadows。'

〃From such meditations is the Wanderer's attention called outwards; for now the Valley closes in abruptly; intersected by a huge mountain mass; the stony water…worn ascent of which is not to be accomplished on horseback。 Arrived aloft; he finds himself again lifted into the evening sunset light; and cannot but pause; and gaze round him; some moments there。  An upland irregular expanse of wold; where valleys in complex branchings are suddenly or slowly arranging their descent towards every quarter of the sky。  The mountain…ranges are beneath your feet; and folded together:  only the loftier summits look down here and there as on a second plain; lakes also lie clear and earnest in their solitude。  No trace of man now visible; unless indeed it were he who fashioned that little visible link of Highway; here; as would seem; scaling the inaccessible; to unite Province with Province。  But sunwards; lo you! how it towers sheer up; a world of Mountains; the diadem and centre of the mountain region!  A hundred and a hundred savage peaks; in the last light of Day; all glowing; of gold and amethyst; like giant spirits of the wilderness; there in their silence; in their solitude; even as on the night when Noah's Deluge first dried! Beautiful; nay solemn; was the sudden aspect to our Wanderer。  He gazed over those stupendous masses with wonder; almost with longing desire; never till this hour had he known Nature; that she was One; that she was his Mother and divine。  And as the ruddy glow was fading into clearness in the sky; and the Sun had now departed; a murmur of Eternity and Immensity; of Death and of Life; stole through his soul; and he felt as if Death and Life were one; as if the Earth were not dead; as if the Spirit of the Earth had its throne in that splendor; and his own spirit were therewith holding communion。

〃The spell was broken by a sound of carriage…wheels。  Emerging from the hidden Northward; to sink soon into the hidden Southward; came a gay Barouche…and…four:  it was open; servants and postilions wore wedding favors:  that happy pair; then; had found each other; it was their marriage evening!  Few moments brought them near:  _Du Himmel_!  It was Herr Towgood andBlumine!  With slight unrecognizing salutation they passed me; plunged down ami

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